


Anchored

by VoidDragonQueen



Series: Stealing the Thief [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 04:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15788706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidDragonQueen/pseuds/VoidDragonQueen
Summary: Akira has a deeply personal crisis right before Akechi comes home. Akechi does his best to alleviate it. The spiritual successor to Envelope.





	Anchored

Akira had never minded that his friends tended to rely on him to be the anchor of their little group. He was a stranger to them at first, and after all, their problems were always more important and urgent than his own. Of course, they did care about him as much as he cared about them, but it still felt strange to him to talk to them about his own problems. Months of being Joker, of being someone who was strong in the face of everything, of being someone who couldn’t show weakness, really screwed with his emotional boundaries. It was late at night, Morgana sleeping by his head, all curled up as he stared at the ceiling of the attic. He knew Akechi would be working until the early hours before dawn. Quietly, Akira got out of bed, creeping down the steps, making sure Morgana didn’t wake up. He was restless, hands running through his hair.

_But they don’t need me anymore. Would they even notice if I disappeared?_

He went behind the counter, considering just serving himself a cup of coffee. Not like he could even sleep anyway. He decided better of it, starting to just rearrange the shelves of coffee beans to his own amusement. Once he finished, he went over to the fridge and played with the magnets on it, trying to distract himself. At some point, his vision started to get blurry, and he sat down on the floor against the fridge, back pressed into it, knees hugged to his chest.

_I’m nobody. They could’ve left me when they had Akechi and they would’ve killed Yaldabaoth. They got to live normal lives. Their parents love them._

Akira could feel his cheeks become wet as he silently cried. He buried his face into his knees, the memories made him want to scratch up his own face until it was unrecognizable.

_I failed them. I killed, I’m a murderer and they just pretend to still like me after that? They hate my guts deep down. I failed as Joker, I failed at being human. I failed humanity, and Akechi had to save them. Who the fuck am I anymore?_

Somewhere, he could hear a faint jingling. Wooden sandals moved across the floor, the first step creaking.

“Kiri?”

He heard someone get close to him, a hand on his shoulder, softly pressing into his skin.

“Leave me here.” Akira croaked.

“Akira…”

“Look, I’m a failure. I failed them, I don’t even know how they can just live with me anymore. I left them to rot there because I couldn’t control my stupid _fucking_ feelings for once.”

“Because they know who you really are, Akira. They know you aren’t a failure.”

“All I do is drag the others down. I… I nearly killed them, nearly killed you.”

“Hey, c’mon. I’m fine now.”

“You’re lying to me.”

“It’s time to go to bed, darling.”

Akira didn’t budge. He felt Akechi tug him, and he tensed up.

“I _said_ leave me to rot, Akechi.”

He heard a long sigh, and then he yelped as he was suddenly lifted into the air as if he was no lighter than a feather. He glared at an apathetic Akechi, still in his light blue yukata and lipstick he wore while working at Crossroads, as he carried him with little effort. He had forgotten that just this past winter, Akechi was climbing up the side of his apartment building and into his window on the daily just to avoid paparazzi.

_Goro and his stupid fucking free climbing skills._

Akira was gently sat down on his lap after Akechi kicked off his sandals, both now on the couch. Morgana rolled over onto his other side, but otherwise didn’t stir. He felt Akechi’s stomach against his back as he started kissing his neck, leaving lipstick marks on his skin. Akira shivered with pleasure.

“Look, you don’t deserve to rot. You made a mistake in the heat of the moment, okay? It happens to everyone.”

“If I disappeared, they wouldn’t notice a thing. They don’t need me anymore. I am not the leader I used to be. Joker fell.”

“Is that what’s tearing you up?”

Akira felt his shirt had been slipped off, the next moment pressed gently into the couch as Akechi kept brushing his lips over his ugly burn marks. The permanent reminders of his failure to keep his head with Shido’s shadow. They wrapped like poison ivy all up and down his body, choking out his humanity. He noticed Akechi was covering as much as he could with his lipstick, the soft blue working with the moonlight to make him look radiant as he paused in the motions, staring at him.

“I used to be the team’s anchor. What the _fuck_ happened to me?”

“Nobody asked you to be.”

Akira stared at him, wounded at the bluntness of the statement.

“Akira, you’re their friend. They did not ask you to drown yourself for them. They worry about you. They don’t expect you to keep holding up the world on your own. I promise you that we won’t bite your head off for expressing your emotions. You should feel free to lean on us when you feel this way. I encourage it, even. You have emotional needs too, and they won’t be satisfied if you keep them bottled up and all to yourself. Trust me, I’m quite the expert on that.”

“My god, do you have to be so blunt about it?”

Akechi softly laughed, and Akira’s heart quickened. He loved that sound.

“Oh, I’m legally obligated to be as blunt with you as possible.” He joked, rubbing circles into his sides.

“That makes you legally an asshole, then.”

“Mhm. But you love me anyway.”

Akira blushed as Akechi pressed kisses into his stomach, shifting his weight evenly on top of him. He trailed up, cold fingers brushing over his warm skin as he lingered for a moment over Akira’s lips. Akira slowly removed the hair stick from Akechi’s hair, undid his bun and ran fingers through his loose hair.

“Hey. You’re not an anchor. You’re a boat like the rest of us.”

Akira snorts.

“That was literally the worst metaphor yet, babe.”

“I don’t see you complaining.”

He punctuated his statement with a kiss, Akira pulling him closer by his hair, wanting to drink in all of him. They pulled away, panting slightly, foreheads pressed together.

“We’ll figure this out together, okay?” He murmured.

“Promise?”

“Promise. Now let’s get to bed before Mona bites our heads off for waking him up.”

Akira stifles a laugh as Akechi gets up. He places Akechi’s stuff on the work bench as he undresses, folding the yukata on the couch. They both settle into bed, careful not to disturb the furry fury. Akira was silently adamant about being the little spoon, and Akechi let him, holding him tight.

“Good night. I love you.” Akechi mumbled into the back of his neck.

“Good night. I love you too.”

Akira was at peace now, the restlessness being banished by Akechi’s presence as he sank into sleep, comforted by the man who loved him back just as much as Akira loved him.

**Author's Note:**

> I have feelings and access to a word document and those are a bad combination.


End file.
